


Valentine's Day in Konoha

by hkandi



Category: Naruto
Genre: ANBU - Freeform, Awkward Conversations, Awkward Flirting, Awkward Romance, Awkwardness, Complete, Dancing, Dango, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fun, Hatake Kakashi Needs Help, Hatake Kakashi Needs a Hug, Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, Likely ramen at some point, M/M, Mystery date, Ninken to the rescue?, Romance, Speed Dating, Updated with each chapter - Freeform, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff, dinner plans, love yourself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22639138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hkandi/pseuds/hkandi
Summary: It's Valentine's Day in Konoha! Each chapter will be the day in the life of one or more characters, to see what people are up to on the same day. Characters will be made clear in the chapter title.Sakura/ANBULee/GaaraTenten/NejiHinata/herselfAnko/YamatoGai/ShizuneKakashi/IrukaGaara/Neji by request!If you have any suggestions or requests for characters, pairings, themes, etc, even if I've written any of it already, let me know! (And if it's after Feb 14th, send it anyway!)
Relationships: Gaara/Hyuuga Neji, Gaara/Rock Lee, Hagane Kotetsu/Kamizuki Izumo, Haruno Sakura/ANBU, Hatake Kakashi/Umino Iruka, Hinata/herself, Hyuuga Hinata/Hyuuga Hinata, Hyuuga Neji/Tenten, Maito Gai | Might Guy/Shizune, Mitarashi Anko/Yamato | Tenzou, Updated with each chapter
Comments: 15
Kudos: 71





	1. Sakura/ANBU

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

Sakura greeted Tsunade at the Hokage's suite in the hotel they were staying at, while they were in Wind Country for a medical conference. They reviewed the conference agenda over breakfast, with Sakura commenting on a Valentine's Day mixer being held that night.

"Two, actually, one for younger people, one for older people," she said quietly.

"Yes, I'll be at the older one, only because I'm Hokage, not due to my age," Tsunade said. "I'll expect you to be reviewing papers referenced in today's talks tonight."

"But Lady Tsunade!" Sakura said, before she could stop herself. "I was hoping to go to the mixer..."

"And make the ANBU cover us in two different locations like that? It would be easier for them to watch over you if you were in your room."

Sakura cast her eyes down. "Yes M'lady," she said, not wanting to argue. They left for the conference, and Sakura decided to not broach the topic again.

So it was safe to say she was surprised when they reconvened at lunch, having attended separate morning seminars, and Tsunade brought it up.

"My ANBU seem to be feeling generous," she said, swirling her gin and tonic around. "They feel confident they can monitor two different mixers, and so if you want to go tonight, feel free."

Sakura squealed. "Thank you, Lady Tsunade! I'm excited!"

They continued at the conference, Sakura enjoying the seminars and engaging in interesting discussions with other medical nins. After dinner, she returned to her room and changed, putting on a new red dress and doing her hair just so.

She exited her room and headed to the mixer, in a small ballroom. There were a number of people gathered, and alcohol and appetizers were flowing, and a band was playing. Some people bravely took to the dancefloor.

Sakura felt excitement at the prospects of a fun night, but two hours in, was tempted to return to her room. It appeared that the younger crowd at this conference decided to either drink themselves stupid tonight, or look for only one thing out of a partner, and she was not interested in anyone there.

She was sat at a table by herself as a slow song came on, picking at cheese and considering returning to her room early, when she sensed someone approach her.

Looking up, a very cute man a little older than herself walked up to her.

"Good evening, Sakura-san, may I have this dance?"

She was so caught off guard by his pleasant demeanor that she accepted and offered her hand without realizing it.

He led her to the dance floor, and they began to sway to the music.

"Wait," she said, "how do you know my name?"

Her partner laughed, a warm laugh. "I know lots of things about you." At her raised eyebrow and silent challenge, he continued. "You're from Konoha, you are very strong, you thought the salmon at lunch was dry, that dinner was much tastier, and you were unsure about staying at this event much longer."

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you a stalker?"

She was answered with another smile and laugh. "No, just a guard."

Sakura frowned, and he clarified, in a lower voice. "Your guard."

She leaned back slightly to look at him, eyes wide in surprise.

"You! You are? Really?"

He nodded as they danced.

"But how? Aren't you...shouldn't you...your face..."

"Henge," he whispered, and winked. "So, it's fine. You looked bored, and I thought that in a way, I was failing at my assignment tonight."

Sakura blushed and was silent for a moment.

"Are you..." she began. "Single?"

"Yes."

"Good," she said, releasing her breath. "I mean, sorry you're single too, but I'd feel bad if you were with someone and dancing with me." She bit her lip. "Are you...old?"

"Not much older than you, so this isn't weird, if that helps."

Sakura blushed again. "And this isn't you?"

"No, that's why this works."

"That's true," Sakura said, and decided if her ANBU said it was okay for them to dance, why not?

They stayed at the mixer until it ended, dancing and eating and talking. He walked her to her room, naturally, and paused outside her door.

"This was fun, thank you for keeping me company," Sakura said.

"It was my pleasure," her date responded.

"I don't suppose we could do it again sometime," she mumbled, more to herself than to him. 

"You wouldn't know it was me," he replied. "So you'll never know." He winked at her and kissed her cheek. "We'll see what happens. I'll see you in the morning, Sakura-chan."

And with a bow he poofed away, but Sakura expected he had not gone far.

"Goodnight, ANBU-san," she whispered, before entering her room, where she fell asleep with a smile on her face.


	2. Team Gai; or, Lee/Gaara, Neji/Tenten

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

Lee was up and running laps around Konoha by the time the sun started to rise. He was almost overjoyed with emotions seeing the village decorated for Valentine's Day, and even more so this year, as he had many plans with many special people.

He ran through a list of the day in his head. Training on his own, check. Then meeting with Neji and Tenten to train, then home to shower and change before meeting back up with them to go out for Valentine's Day. Well, not just with them, he reminded himself, he was double dating! With Gaara!

At the thought of the Kazekage, who had arrived in Konoha the night before, his pulse jumped and his pace quickened. He was excited and hopeful for their date and their first Valentine's day together. Lee had spent months researching what to do and buy, and had a bouquet ready at the Yamanaka Flower Shop to be picked up. They had a dinner reservation, and would part ways with Neji and Tenten after dinner, and as long as it didn't rain, Lee thought he and Gaara might go for a walk.

He punched the air as he ran, knowing it was a solid plan!

Several hours later, Neji, Tenten, and Lee met for regular training.

"It is too bad that Gai-sensei is on a mission and is not here to mentor us today!" Lee bawled. "I know we will work hard and make him proud of us!"

"Uh, yeah, too bad," Tenten agreed, rolling her eyes.

"Can we begin?" Neji sighed.

Lee struck a pose and gave him a thumbs up, and Neji and Tenten shared a collective sigh, before dropping into fighting stances.

"Let us begin our joyful training!" Lee shouted.

___________

Gaara thanked the Konoha council for their time as the day wound down. He left the Hokage Tower with Temari and Kankuro in tow, and they went back to where they were staying.

"I'm going to get dressed, try not to have too much fun tonight," Temari said to her brothers.

"Me, or Gaara?" Kankuro asked.

"Both!" she said, slipping into her room.

Kankuro shook his head. "I'll see you tomorrow I guess?"

"Are you sure you would not wish to join us?" Gaara asked, and Kankuro shook his head again.

"No way! I'm not crashing your date. I made plans with some of the losers here, we're having a boys night. Now go get ready yourself."

And with that, he left, heading to his own room.

Gaara turned into his room, nodding at his guards as he entered. He showered and changed, and did some paperwork until it was time to leave.

"Have the night off, or keep a good distance," he said to his guards, who nodded. Just then, Lee bounded down the hallway.

"Good evening! How are you? How was your day? Are you ready? Are you excited? I am! I brought this for you, if you wanted to leave it here so it would not hinder you tonight." Lee said all this in one short breath, thrusting a bouquet at Gaara, who was silent and blinked at him.

"Thank you," he finally said, and left the flowers in a vase. "Shall we?"

Lee punched the air. "Yes! Let us go meet my team for dinner! If you do not have fun or find something delicious to eat, I will run one hundred laps around the village!"

Gaara shook his head but a small smile graced his face. "You worry too much. Let's go."

________________

Elsewhere, Neji and Tenten were also home getting changed and ready.

"You'll be ok?" Neji asked Hinata, as he had stopped by her room to get her opinion on his outfit, and to make sure one last time she was fine, being on her own tonight.

She rolled her eyes and picked out a shirt for him. "S-stop, Neji, I'm not going to be lonely or upset. I have chocolate, good food, and a good book. Now g-go have fun on your date!" 

He nodded at her and she pushed him out.

At her own home, Tenten put on a new top and more fitted pants than she typically wore, and grabbed a decorative fan to take with. Mostly decorative, as it had hidden blades inside. A girl's gotta be prepared!

As she was fixing her hair, she heard her father open the door and exchange pleasantries with Neji. She went downstairs a moment later, greeting them both, and smiled at the small flowers Neji presented her with, placing them in her hair.

They left and walked to meet Gaara and Lee.

_________________

Dinner went quite well. Neji and Tenten had admittedly not been sure how to act, or how it would be, to both eat with the Kazekage and to see Lee on a date. Not just see him on a date, but be double dating with him.

They had reservations at a small udon restaurant and exchanged stories of missions (what they could share) and training, as well as differences between their home villages.

Neji and Lee picked up the tab, and Tenten smiled appreciatively at them.

The couples casually parted ways after dinner, walking in opposite directions.

Neji and Tenten went for a walk, then decided to stop in a movie theater to see an older film, sharing popcorn.

Lee and Gaara walked around the village so Gaara could see it decorated, with Lee pointing out his favorite decorations and waving at people. Later, Gaara pulled Lee into a tea shop and they sat to relax.

Lee walked Gaara back to where he was staying, stating that if he did not take Gaara out for the most delicious breakfast he has ever had in the morning, he would do two hundred pushups!

"I cannot wait to tell Gai-sensei about tonight! He will be most overjoyed!" Lee cried out, as he walked home.


	3. Hinata/Hinata

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

Hinata woke and looked at her calendar. It was both just another day, and Valentine's Day. She was single, as usual, so this was not an important day for her, but still a fun one.

Hinata met up with her team for a small in-village mission, completing it by lunchtime. Kurenai rewarded them by taking them out for lunch, then giving them the afternoon off. Hinata offered to turn in the report, which her teammates and sensei thanked her for.

She reflected on the day as she meandered to the missions office. Her sensei had a date with Asuma-sensei today. Kiba and Shino had invited her to join them tonight, but she knew it was a "guys" thing, and with Naruto being there she just wouldn't be able to take it! Neji was on a date with Tenten, Sakura was out of the village, and Ino was spending time with her team. She could have joined them, but decided against it.

Hinata decided this would be a pleasant Hinata-day.

She spent time looking at the decorated storefronts on her walk, and enjoying the mild weather. Even the conversations in the missions office lines seemed more pleasant than usual.

Hinata waited in her former sensei's line, and had no one behind her as she neared the front.

"Good afternoon, Hinata-chan," Iruka greeted her.

"Hello, Iruka-sensei," she said. "I'm s-suprised you're out of class early?"

"Ah, well the school had parties for today at lunch and, well, you combine pre-genin hopped up on sugar and a Friday afternoon, we decided a while ago we'd let them have a slightly early dismissal. So here I am. Would you like some chocolate?" he asked, motioning to a box of chocolates on his desk.

She accepted one and turned in her team's report and he praised her for it. "Say, sensei, d-do you have anything else available? M-maybe something simple for a solo?"

Iruka glanced at his records. "I'm afraid not. No plans today?" She shook her head.

"I think I'll j-just spend it by myself, maybe get a new book and go for a walk."

He smiled warmly at her. "I think that sounds like a great plan, I'll probably do the same when I finish my shift. How about something for the road?" he offered, pulling out an unopened box of chocolate and passing it to her.

Hinata raised an eyebrow at it and he held up his hands. "Not out of pity, I have too many leftovers from the party today, even for as big of a sweettooth as I have. You'll be doing me a favor taking this box off my hands." He dropped his voice to a loud whisper. "I still have two boxes for myself..."

Hinata smiled and accepted it. "In that case, thank you, Iruka-sensei! Have a good weekend!"

She left and wandered around the village, stopping in anywhere that caught her eye. As it neared dinner time she did in fact stop at a bookstore and perused for a while before making a purchase, then stopped to pick up takeout. 

As she was setting things out in her room, Neji stopped in, on his way out with Tenten.

"You'll be ok?" Neji asked her, as he stopped by her room to get her opinion on his outfit.

She rolled her eyes and picked out a shirt for him. "S-stop, Neji, I'm not going to be lonely or upset. I have chocolate, good food, and a good book. Now g-go have fun on your date!" 

He nodded at her and she pushed him out, then closed her door and changed.

Settling in with her book and takeout at home, in comfortable pajamas, and the chocolate from Iruka, she had a quiet evening to herself, enjoying each and every moment of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Moral of the story, it doesn't matter if you're alone or not on Valentine's Day, or if you even celebrate it. You do you, and have fun either way!


	4. Anko/Yamato

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

Anko got back to Konoha early in the morning from a brief overnight mission, with another jonin and a chuunin. It was successful, but they were dirty and slightly bruised.

She offered to turn the report in later, and yawned as she waved goodbye to her team, heading back to her apartment to shower and rest.

Later, after a long bath and a nap, she sat eating lunch while working on the report. She thought back on the Valentine's flavored dango she had snagged on the mission and how good it had been, and made a note to try to find it or something similar in town.

She shook her head to refocus, and finished the report, before heading back into her bedroom to change.

Leaving a while later, she wandered the village for a light dinner and dango, before heading to turn in the report.

"Ruuuu," she sang, strolling into the missions room.

"Anko," Iruka greeted, as he poked around the box of chocolates on his desk. She jumped up and sat on his desk, watching him. He picked a chocolate, and gave her another, which she accepted and hummed.

"Whatcha doing tonight?" she asked.

"I'm here for a little bit longer, then probably home."

"Boo," Kotestu said, entering with Izumo.

"Boo yourself," Iruka said. "You guys are relieving me, so I can't complain. Sucks you have to be here tonight though."

"Nah," Izumo said. "We still get to spend the night together, and you know no one will show up." He sat at a desk and put his feet up. "We placed a takeout order, so it's like the village is paying us to hang out tonight."

"Which means," Kotetsu said to Iruka, leaning against Izumo's desk. "You should be out and about."

"You could come with me!" Anko said. "I'm going speed dating!"

The three men turned to her and paused, before laughing. 

"What?" she asked, poking around the chocolates again.

"Nothing," Iruka said, pointing at one for her. "Good for you. You'll have to let us know how it is."

"Or you come with," she suggested again. "What else are you going to do?"

"Home, shower, eat junk, read, sleep?" Iruka said. "Don't be too jealous." He paused and rummaged through papers. "Actually, I did get asked out."

His friends turned to him.

"What?" they shouted.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Kotetsu said.

Iruka shrugged. "It was a last minute invite. And vague. I'm sure it won't pan out. But," he said, looking at the clock. "They're supposedly coming to get me at the end of my shift. So we'll see."

"Aww I'm going to miss it, I have to get to the speed dating by then!" Anko cried.

"We'll fill you in," Izumo agreed, and they turned back to Iruka to try to get more information. He didn't provide any, and soon it was time for her to get going, her report having been accepted and stamped.

She left, after everyone promising again to give her an update, and headed to a bar to check-in for the speed dating. Sure, it was a little cliche, but it was cheap and she had nothing better to do tonight.

She got a drink and looked around at the others waiting. It was almost 50-50 men and women, and a mix of shinobi and civilians. Some good looking men, so she had high hopes.

The organizers announced how the sessions would work, with each pair having about seven minutes to talk, then they would fill out a card, and the round would move on with a new partner.

Anko thought she was in luck, as some of the more good looking men were near her to start, so she would meet them early on. However, there were definitely more people here than she expected, so she knew she would be here for quite some time!

Unfortunately, her luck ran out pretty fast. One good looking man clearly thought this was beneath him. Another only talked about himself, and didn't ask her anything about her or give her space to talk. Another decided to spend their time at the bar...without her. Other men she talked to were...decent, mostly, but as it was early rounds, some of them seemed more content with looking around her to see who else was at the event.

She huffed and stirred her drink as she drifted into mental space, the man in front of her going on and on about himself, and how he had spied sisters at this event, and what should he say to them, as he thought they'd tell the other what he asked each of them?

Anko didn't feel like even starting to point out how inconsiderate it was to her, just let it go. She only had one minute left, anyway.

"One more round, then we'll take a break," one of the organizers shouted.

Anko sighed and nodded at the man as he stood to move on, and was busy filling out her card on him when the next man sat at her table.

The bell rang, and she looked up.

"You!" she said, startled.

The man smiled. "Hello, Anko-chan. How are you?"

"I didn't expect to see you here, Yamato," she said, smiling warmly at a friendly face.

"I might say the same," he said, shuffling in his seat. "Kakashi-senpai signed me up for this, I only found out this afternoon. I know it was probably meant as a joke, but I thought I might as well attend."

"That's just like him," she said. "I admit, I signed myself up, but I thought it would go much better than it has so far. Have you met anyone nice?"

Yamato shook his head. "No. I was a bit bashful the first few rounds, and then one or two women were not as interested in a shinobi. You?"

"No, no real winners here." They moved on to discussing training and what their week had been like in general, or as much as they could share with each other and in public.

"Say," Anko said, "the round is almost over. And then it's a break...you want to get out of here?"

Yamato's eyes widened. "But, there's still many more people to meet!"

"Do you really want to?" she asked, genuinely curious.

He paused and thought about it. "I guess not?"

She smiled. "We could leave and hang out, after all, that's the point of this type of thing, right?"

"Hmm," he said, considering it. "I suppose I can't argue with that..."

"And we'll even make sure to give them a good review, tell them how it worked for us," Anko said, laughing.

He smiled and agreed. "But," he said, lowering his voice and leaning towards her. "We need a plan."

"True," Anko admitted. "When we go on break, I'll head towards the restroom. You go out to get some air."

"Where should we meet? You walking out through the front as well might be too obvious."

She smiled again. "I'll only walk towards the restroom. I have a friend in the kitchen, so I'll leave that way. Let's meet somewhere away from here..."

"There's that little open area two blocks over, with benches and things," Yamato suggested. "I could pick us up somthing to drink, and meet you there?"

Anko smiled and winked. "Sounds good!" The bell rang, and the break was announced. "See you soon!"

Yamato nodded at her, wearing a serious face, he now had a mission to accomplish.

____________

Ten minutes later, he was waiting patiently at a bench in the agreed upon area, a bottle of plum wine and two cups in a bag next to him. Anko approached and called out, carrying a bag herself.

She sat down and opened her bag. "My friend in the kitchen sent me out with some snacks," she said, showing dango and rice balls.

"Looks good!" Yamato replied, pouring them drinks.

And so, they spent the night talking and laughing together, a much better Valentine's night than they had expected to have. Who knew speed dating actually worked?

And, if they made plans to meet up the following week, well, that was even better.


	5. Gai/Shizune; Kakashi/Iruka

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

Kakashi woke, but being a fully trained shinobi, kept his body still, breathing even, and eyes closed so as to not give anything up. He checked his surroundings, and was only semi-surprised to note that he was not alone. A warm body was pressed up against his back, with an arm circling his waist.

He sighed and opened his eye, to note that first light was just visible.

Kakashi checked his wards and chakra, everything seemed secure. Mentally shrugging, he decided to not move, reasoning that at least he was warm.

However, before long he decided enough was enough.

"Wakey wakey, Gai," he said, moving the man's arm off him.

"Rival! A fine morning it is! And Valentine's Day, to boot!"

"Maa, waking up in your arms is not how I want to start my day, Valentine's Day or not. I forget how much of a cuddler you are."

Gai stretched and sat up in their temporary shelter. "A most hip response, rival!"

Kakashi rolled his eye. "Come on, let's break down the area and head back, I'm ready for this mission to be over."

It had been a successful, if also boring mission, and he had felt sending two jonin was absurd, but who was he to challenge it?

They were still quite a distance from Konoha, so Gai jumped up.

"Yosh! If I am not home by four in the afternoon, I will run three hundred laps around the village!"

"That's a pretty specific deadline," Kakashi mused.

Gai looked at him with shining eyes as they packed. "I have a date with the lovely Shizune tonight, and need to be back to shower and change to pick her up for our reservation! And you, what cool and youthful plans do you have?"

Kakashi thought about his empty apartment and empty fridge, and shrugged. "Reading Icha Icha with my pack?"

Tears started to form in Gai's eyes.

"No! But, today of all days....you should have plans! You could join us...."

"I'm fine, really, but thank you. You do...whatever it is you do. I'll see what trouble I can find."

Kakashi thought about this on the way back to the village. The only person he wanted plans with he hadn't actually asked out, and was unsure if it was too late...

______

They did in fact make it back on time, and Kakashi waved Gai off to go get ready for his date.

He haphazardly filled out the report and wandered over to the missions office, trying to not get his hopes up.

Still, he was a ball of nerves on the inside, albeit calm and collected on the outside, as he entered the room and waited in the short line. Many peers it looked like were not bothering with the mission office today.

His heart jumped as he saw that Iruka was manning a desk, but as he got in his line, Kakashi's heart fell when he noticed a box of chocolate on the man's desk. Surely it was from whoever he was seeing...

The line moved quickly, and soon it was Kakashi's turn.

"Good afternoon, Kakashi-sensei, and welcome back."

"Maa, always nice to see you, Iruka-sensei." Kakashi paused, hands in his pockets. "Is that chocolate for you?"

Iruka followed his gaze and smiled. "No, it's from me to others. It's from the party my class had today. Would you like some?"

Kakashi's visible eyebrow quirked. "You didn't get anything for Valentine's Day?"

Iruka directed his smile at him this time. "I got cards and chocolate from my class, so that's something, hmm? But from people over four feet tall, no, I can't say that I did."

Kakashi leaned his hip on Iruka's desk. "I could take you out."

Iruka scoffed at that, and Kakashi shrugged. "I'll make a reservation?"

"Make one? For tonight? Good luck! No, I'll be resting at home, thank you. Do you have a mission report to turn in by any chance?"

Kakashi ignored this last part. "What if I already made a reservation?"

"I don't think I believe that."

"You get off work at 8pm tonight, right?" Kakashi asked. "And you're not working tonight, like you do on other holidays."

Iruka shrugged. "I'm not sure this is actually a holiday, but no, someone else is covering tonight. It's a Friday night, I'm allowed to not work extra shifts. So what?"

"So I'll pick you up at 8 for our date," Kakashi said, leaving before Iruka could respond.

"I don't think I believe him," he said to himself. "And where is his mission report!"

______________

Kakashi summoned his pack when he was back outside.

"What's up, boss?" Pakkun asked, from atop Bull's head.

"I need everyone to go to the restaurants, big or small, and see who has an opening for tonight, after 8pm."

The dogs looked at him with a "really?" look.

"What?" he asked.

"Look around," Uhei said. "It's Valentine's Day, and you're looking for a reservation?"

"Today?" Bisuke asked.

"For in a few hours?" Bull added.

Kakashi waved them off and put his hands in his pockets. "It'll be fine, I'm sure. Find me when you have something," he said, beginning to walk away.

The pack looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"Let's get this over with," Urushi said.

___________________

Unlike Kakashi, Gai had reservations made and was quite early picking up Shizune, who bade goodbye to Tonton. They took a longer route to their destination, as they had more time to kill, and Shizune laughed at all of Gai's exclamations of how cool and youthful the village was today, how lovely the decorations were, and how they could not compare to her.

Okay, that last one had her blushing and holding his arm a little tighter.

As they walked, they saw several of Kakashi's ninken gathering together, and greeted them as they passed.

"Everything ok?" Shizune asked.

Bisuke huffed and rolled his eyes. "Boss is sending us out to do his dirty work. Decided he wants a reservation for tonight last minute."

Gai's eyes widened, then watered. "My rival has plans after all! Who is the lucky precious person?"

The pack shrugged. "We didn't ask," Pakkun said. "But it looks like he'll be cancelling."

"Hmm," Shizune said, deep in thought. She looked at Gai. "They could join us on our walk, and we could brainstorm together?"

Gai gave her a blinding smile and the group set off, discussing options.

______________

"Ruuuu," Anko sang, strolling into the missions room.

"Anko," Iruka greeted, as he poked around the box of chocolates, trying to decide which one to eat next. She jumped up and sat on his desk, watching him. He picked one, and gave her another, which she accepted and hummed.

"Whatcha doing tonight?" she asked.

He finished chewing and stretched. "I'm here for a little bit longer, then probably home."

"Boo," Kotestu said, entering with Izumo.

"Boo yourself," Iruka said. "You guys are relieving me, so I can't complain. Sucks you have to be here tonight though."

"Nah," Izumo said. "We still get to spend the night together, and you know no one will show up." He sat at a desk and put his feet up. "We placed a takeout order, so it's like the village is paying us to hang out tonight."

"Which means," Kotetsu said to Iruka, leaning against Izumo's desk. "You should be out and about."

"You could come with me!" Anko said. "I'm going speed dating!"

The three men turned to her and paused, before laughing. 

"What?" she asked, poking around the chocolates again.

"Nothing," Iruka said, pointing at one for her. "Good for you. You'll have to let us know how it is."

"Or you come with," she suggested again. "What else are you going to do?"

"Home, shower, eat junk, read, sleep?" Iruka said. "Don't be too jealous." He paused and rummaged through papers. "Actually, I did get asked out."

His friends turned to him. 

"What?" they shouted.

"Why didn't you say anything?" Kotetsu said.

Iruka shrugged. "It was a last minute invite. And vague. I'm sure it won't pan out. But," he said, looking at the clock. "They're supposedly coming to get me at the end of my shift. So we'll see.

"Aww I'm going to miss it, I have to get to the speed dating by then!" Anko cried.

"We'll fill you in," Izumo agreed, and they turned back to Iruka to try to get more information, unsuccessfully.

___________________

Gai and Shizune had offered some ideas to the pack, but parted ways when they reached their destination, and had an enjoyable, many coursed dinner. Neither, truthfully, gave Kakashi a second thought.

Kakashi, needless to say, was at a loss of what to do. Who knew the village would be fully booked?

He stood in front of his kitchen sink lost in thought. Iruka hadn't exactly said no, so he couldn't miss this opportunity!

Suddenly a thought struck him, and he smiled, pulling his mask up and preparing to leave.

___________

Iruka ended his shift, and all the questions from his friends, and packed up. He glanced at the clock, then the door. No sign of Kakashi. He tried to tell himself he was not surprised. Or disappointed.

He walked down the stairs, maybe a bit slower than usual, reasoning that he didn't need to rush anywhere, right? 

But still, no Kakashi.

By the time he reached ground level it was ten after eight. Iruka straightened his vest and pulled his scarf a little tighter around his neck before exiting to the cold street. This was fine, he told himself, it was a silly comment anyway. No, he'd have his original plans of a nice, quiet night at home.

Iruka exited, and had only taken a few steps when he heard a voice behind him.

"It's after eight, sensei, my, my."

Iruka rolled his eyes but had a slight smile on his face. "What are you implying?" he asked, as he straightened his face and turned to face the other man.

Kakashi was leaning against the tower, hands in pockets. "You're late?"

Iruka scoffed. "I'm late? My shift ended and I walked down here." He flipped his hair and shrugged. "You said you'd meet me after."

"And here I am."

Iruka frowned but couldn't argue. "So where is our most amazing reservation for?"

"Maa, you see," Kakashi began, and Iruka rolled his eyes again. "I had one for one of the nicest restaurants in Konoha, but as I was standing there confirming it, a woman came in who wanted to propose to her boyfriend, who had just come in from a one year mission, and I thought I should offer her the reservation instead."

Iruka smiled. "Uh huh, sure. So I guess I'll be heading home then."

"Nope," Kakashi said. "We still have plans." And he nodded towards a direction and they set off on a walk, which began to become an incline, and a brisk walk, nearing a hike.

"Kakashi-sensei, where are we going?" Iruka asked. "Are you taking me somewhere to kill me in private?"

"Kill you with love?" was the response he got, and he shook his head. He should have known better. "But please, just call me Kakashi."

They eventually arrived at a clearing on top of Hokage Mountain, but in an area Iruka hadn't been before, far from where others normally went. Kakashi pulled out a scroll and began to take a blanket out from it, along with a basket of food, setting it out.

"This is all well and good, but it is cold up here, and getting colder," Iruka said, the open area not protecting them from the chilled temperatures and wind that was starting to blow.

"Hmm," Kakashi said. "I didn't think about that."

Iruka had to admit that Kakashi had gone to a lot of trouble, and it was a rather nice idea, so he scratched his chin and set his bag down. "Hold on," he said, before doing hand seals and creating a fire for them that was contained, as well as a barrier around their blanket that was also contained, keeping the warmth in.

"Oh sensei, I think I'm in love," Kakashi said, as Iruka settled down on the blanket, a respectable distance away. "I'll never freeze again with you by my side!"

"That sounds like something from one of your books," Iruka commented, as he also pulled out a box of chocolate from his bag and added it to the food and drink Kakashi had brought.

"Did it work?" Kakashi asked, his visible eye slightly hopeful, and Iruka laughed.

"Maybe. Let's eat," Iruka said. "And...Kakashi....thank you, for this. It's nice."

Kakashi winked at him and passed him a drink. "It's my pleasure."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Happy Valentine's Day!


	6. Gaara/Neji

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing requested by MyChemicalLover!
> 
> I haven't written these two before really, and definitely not together, but here goes!

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

“I’m so looking forward to this!” Temari said over lunch, and Kankuro agreed.

“I’m not usually one for Valentine’s day, but I’m glad I gave it a shot this year,” Kankuro said.

“I can’t remember why I’m here?” Gaara asked, poking his food.

Temari sighed. “Because we both have dates in Konoha and suggested you come along and have some fun? Remember?”

“Plus you agreed to a blind date,” Kankuro added.

“With who?” Gaara asked. 

His siblings rolled their eyes.

“It’s a blind date,” Kankuro said bluntly. “You won’t know, they won’t know. You just show up when and where we tell you to tonight. We’re even giving you money to pay for it, since we’re just that nice.”

Gaara sighed.

“Anyway,” Temari said. “I want to do some shopping after this. I need to get Shikamaru something he won’t be too bored with. Probably food.”

“Yeah, I should get something too,” Kankuro said.

_____

That evening, his siblings made sure that Gaara had put more thought than usual into his appearance, and offered suggestions for topics of conversation.

“Their interests…”

“Favorite places to spend time…”

“What they like about their job…”

“How they unwind…”

“Last book read…”

“This sounds like too much effort,” Gaara commented.

Temari sighed and fixed her hair one last time. “Tough, you’re going. If it’s that bad, just leave. We don’t live here, so you won’t have to see them for a while. Probably.”

Gaara frowned but thought it best to not disagree. She could be feisty before a date.

_______

At the appointed time, sooner than he would have liked, Gaara set off for a small restaurant and upon entering, looked around for his date. 

“They’ll have a yellow rose with them,” Kankuro had told him.

Gaara’s eyes searched for the flower, unsure if he was looking for a bouquet, something in someone’s hair, or….a single rose.

On a table.

In front of a man with pale eyes.

Gaara approached the table slowly, and Neji looked up at him.

“I’m supposed to meet someone here with a yellow rose,” Gaara said.

Neji was stoic for a moment. “I was told to be here with a yellow rose,” he said. “It looks like we’re supposed to have dinner together. Please, sit.”

Gaara did, and immediately one of the owners joyfully swooped in to take their orders.

“My, my! The happy couple is fully here at last!”

“We’re not a ---” Gaara and Neji both started, but were cut off by the older woman.

“Now, now, don’t argue, you’ll make the other unhappy. Tonight’s not the time to be bashful. It’s a fixed menu tonight, so just sit back and let us take care of you!” And she left before they could say anything, returning a moment later with glasses of water and cups of tea and leaving murmuring about “young love.”

Finally left alone, they looked at each other.

They were silent for a moment.

“This is my first blind date,” Neji said, breaking the silence.

“Mine as well,” Gaara said.

Another moment of silence.

“How did your siblings pull this off?” Neji asked.

Gaara relaxed for a moment as he thought about it. “They both have dates here, and felt I shouldn’t remain home for the weekend alone. I agreed, not fully aware what a blind date meant.”

Neji nodded. “Your sister is going out with Nara, right?”

“That’s correct. She seems rather fond of him, somehow. And my brother has a date with a kunoichi here.” Gaara blinked in thought. “I’m not sure who.”

Neji smiled slightly. “I do. He’s taking my teammate Tenten out tonight.” He sat back in his chair. “Figures she’d work with him to set me up.” Neji paused as he drank tea. “Be glad you weren’t set up with our other teammate.”

“The one I fought before, with the hair, and the eyebrows, and exuberant personality, correct?”

Neji nodded. “Lee, yes. He’d probably be embarrassing you right now with all his proclamations of springtime of youths and other nonsensical things from our sensei.”

Before Gaara could respond, their first dish came out, something clearly meant to be shared, and so they dug in.

Gaara remembered suggestions his siblings gave for topics for conversation, and began to ask Neji about his training, as his profession was known already.

They spent time discussing different training techniques and methods, sharing stories of training with their teams. The second dish came out, and the owner did not hide her desire for them to be sure to share with the other, which they did, fearing repercussions or disappointment from the kindly older woman if they did not.

By the time dessert came out, they were deep into conversation about their favorite books, both being avid readers.

When the check came, Neji reached for it, but Gaara grabbed it first. Possibly he slowed Neji with some sand, just to be safe.

“Please, allow me to at least pay for my share,” Neji offered.

Gaara shook his head and pulled out money. “Technically, it’s on my siblings. I think it was bribery to get me to definitely go, but they gave me money for dinner. I assume they had an idea of pricing since they picked the establishment for us.”

Neji smirked. “I won’t argue with that.”

The older woman thanked them and cooed as they left.

Suddenly on the street, they looked at each other. Gaara, certainly, wasn’t sure what to do.

“Are you interested in continuing on?” Neji asked. “We could go for a walk. Get away from all the Valentine’s things for a bit.”

“That would be nice,” Gaara admitted. “I’m interested in seeing more of your forests.”

“I’m not sure how much you’ll see now that it’s darker,” Neji said, “but there’s some nice garden areas at least.”

He led them to and through several parks, where other couples quietly sat or walked, and they weren’t bothered by others as they did the same.

They talked more, not just more about training and books, but about how they grew up, family dynamics, general concerns, and how Kankuro, Tenten, Temari, and Shikamaru must be on their own dates.

“I’m sure I’ll hear all about it tomorrow,” Gaara said, sighing, as they wandered to a small café for tea to warm up. “Temari usually doesn’t shut up about her Nara, and Kankuro has been talking about your teammate for a while now.”

“Yes, Tenten seemed quite eager for their date as well,” Neji mused. “I’ll likely have to get earplugs for when Lee and Gai-sensei hear about her date, my ears already hurt just thinking about how…boisterous…they will be about it.”

They sat in silence, musing over what was to come tomorrow.

“I could show you some of the forest tomorrow,” Neji offered.

“What?”

“You said you wanted to see it, and it should be good weather then. It will also give us a reason to be away from hearing about too much of today.”

“That does sound good,” Gaara agreed. “Perhaps…if we even brought food with us, we wouldn’t have to return for quite some time.”

Neji smiled softly. “That sounds like a plan.”

Gaara nodded and looked into his cup of tea, trying to fight a blush.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yellow roses can mean friendship, joy, and caring, so I thought it was nice for this story.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback welcomed.
> 
> I also wrote a Valentine's Day story for Naruto last year, feel free to check it out if you want more Valentine's shenanigans...


End file.
